From Lillehammer, NOR
(January 28, 2024) – Francesco Friedrich is known for, among other things, his collection of track and start records that he’s amassed over this course of his illustrious career.
On Sunday he picked up a few more on his way to a gold medal in Lillehammer.
Friedrich’s crew gave him the start record in the first heat as he slid to a track record 49.74, the first ever bobsled run under 50 seconds on the 1994 Olympic track. In the second heat he and his team did it again as they lowered the start record to a 4.87. Friedrich missed lowering that track record by just .02 in that second heat but had the two fastest runs of the race on his way to a .22 second victory over teammate Johannes Lochner.
Lochner’s team was the only one that could truly hang with Friedrich’s. Both starts were just .03 off of Friedrich’s, but Lochner’s two drives were just a tick bumpier than Friedrich’s, but good enough for silver.
The bronze medal went to Brad Hall. Hall, and the majority of his team, have been injured for most of the season but were competitive off the start and Hall’s two drives were more than enough to give Great Britain its first four-man medal of the season with a bronze.
Switzerland’s Simon Friedli moves up a pair of spots to finish fourth, a career World Cup best from the front of a four-man bobsled. He picked off teammate Michael Vogt for that honor, as Vogt, Italy’s Patrick Baumgartner, and Latvia’s Emils Cipulis all tied for fifth place.
the United States’ Frank Del Duca finished 13th, a career best four-man result, while Great Britain’s Adam Baird finished 17th in his first World Cup start as a pilot.
Six races into the IBSF World Cup, both Lochner and Friedrich have three wins apiece, but Friedrich has one bronze medal to Lochner’s three silvers, giving Lochner a ten point advantage with two races to go. Emils Cipulis sits third, with Michael Vogt fourth and Simon Friedli fitfth.
Results:
| Pos | Names | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Friedrich / Margis / Schüller / Straub | GER | 4 | 4.89 | 4.87 | 49.74 | 49.76 | 1:39.50 |
| 2 | Lochner / Bauer / Bruckert / Fleischhauer | GER | 11 | 4.92 | 4.90 | 49.84 | 49.88 | 1:39.72 |
| 3 | Hall / Greenwood / Lawrence / Cackett | GBR | 17 | 4.98 | 4.98 | 50.04 | 50.11 | 1:40.15 |
| 4 | Friedli / Moser / Rolli / Haas | SUI | 8 | 4.96 | 4.96 | 50.15 | 50.11 | 1:40.26 |
| 5 | Baumgartner / Fantazzini / Mircea / Bilotti | ITA | 6 | 5.01 | 5.01 | 50.16 | 50.19 | 1:40.35 |
| 5 | Vogt / Orsinger / Knuser / Michel | SUI | 9 | 5.05 | 5.04 | 50.13 | 50.22 | 1:40.35 |
| 5 | Cipulis / Springis / Kaufmanis / Lindenblats | LAT | 12 | 4.98 | 5.00 | 50.10 | 50.25 | 1:40.35 |
| 8 | Ammour / Ammour / Hertel / Schenk | GER | 15 | 4.95 | 4.96 | 50.30 | 50.19 | 1:40.49 |
| 9 | Follador / Mariani / Hufschmid / Jones | SUI | 7 | 5.08 | 5.05 | 50.43 | 50.19 | 1:40.62 |
| 10 | Sun / Ding / Ye / Zhen | CHN | 13 | 5.06 | 5.08 | 50.43 | 50.26 | 1:40.69 |
| 11 | Kalenda / Ungurs / Kaufmanis / Nemme | LAT | 14 | 5.01 | 5.01 | 50.42 | 50.43 | 1:40.85 |
| 12 | Behounek / Dobes / Bures / Zalesky | CZE | 2 | 5.05 | 5.02 | 50.46 | 50.46 | 1:40.92 |
| 13 | Del Duca / Abdul-Saboor / Adams / Mitchell | USA | 19 | 5.04 | 5.03 | 50.58 | 50.38 | 1:40.96 |
| 14 | Treichl / Schenk / Sammer / Huber | AUT | 10 | 5.17 | 5.10 | 50.62 | 50.39 | 1:41.01 |
| 15 | Tentea / Dinescu / Pacioianu / Iordache | ROU | 16 | 5.10 | 5.11 | 50.66 | 50.57 | 1:41.23 |
| 16 | Variola / Batti / Ceresatto / Obou | ITA | 3 | 5.06 | 5.07 | 50.67 | 50.59 | 1:41.26 |
| 17 | Baird / Kay / Hullah / Williams | GBR | 1 | 5.16 | 5.16 | 50.74 | 50.77 | 1:41.51 |
| 18 | Li / Wei / Zhu / Jiang | CHN | 5 | 5.09 | 5.11 | 50.99 | 50.56 | 1:41.55 |
| 19 | Boron / Sienkiewicz / Boinski / Kaminski | POL | 18 | 5.21 | 5.21 | 51.33 | 51.09 | 1:42.42 |